Make Things Better

The theme of this book is that whatever our field, we are in a people business, and healthy relationships with our people are vitally important. It is said that managers focus on numbers, while leaders focus first on their people. Just as leaders make things better, so too may anyone and everyone within a company. We, of course, must do our job very well, and to advance we must be a great teammate, and be alert to how our company could improve and to help make that happen. We want ideas to flow up. The various chapters discuss important principles and practices of highly effective leadership and that conversations are the work of a leader. This certainly includes one-on-one conversations, which is how we develop and maintain healthy and productive working relationships. Communicate frequently and clearly, treat people with respect, kindness, and dignity, and we will have an enthusiastic and engaged team. We all can be successful and still prioritize our faith, family, friends, and our well-being.

The theme of this book is that whatever our field, we are in a people business, and healthy relationships with our people are vitally important. It is said that managers focus on numbers, while leaders focus first on their people. Just as leaders make things better, so too may anyone and everyone within a company. We, of course, must do our job very well, and to advance we must be a great teammate, and be alert to how our company could improve and to help make that happen. We want ideas to flow up. The various chapters discuss important principles and practices of highly effective leadership and that conversations are the work of a leader. This certainly includes one-on-one conversations, which is how we develop and maintain healthy and productive working relationships. Communicate frequently and clearly, treat people with respect, kindness, and dignity, and we will have an enthusiastic and engaged team. We all can be successful and still prioritize our faith, family, friends, and our well-being.

John has had a long career in senior leadership roles with Johnson & Higgins, Marsh & McLennan, the Damon Runyan Cancer Research Foundation, and the Georgetown University Medical Center, and has been active with and served on numerous charitable boards. He is a graduate of Georgetown's Institute for Transformational Leadership and founded his company, Common Sense Leadership, which helps senior executives in business, as well as the academic and religious worlds, improve leadership, their own and their team's. John is a believer in leading with humility and empathy, let our people know that they are appreciated, heard, and that their ideas matter. Every business is a people business. As a leader, our success comes from our helping others be great, and we must encourage ideas to flow up. He and his wife, Kerry, his best half, live in Glen Ellyn, IL and Charlevoix, MI. John has previously authored two leadership books, and he writes a short article or two every month.